Monday, June 10, 2013

Cinema Babble: Abra-cadabra, baby

The Dealio: Four street-magicians receive an offer they can't refuse: go into training with a mysterious (as in, they never meet the person) benefactor, who is grooming them to take on Vegas, baby! Each has a specialty and a past. Each is longing for the big time. But what is really behind all the magic? As world famous debunker and ex-magician, Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman) puts it 'Look closely, because the closer you look, the less you see.'

The Grading Session: 4.79 pengies out of 5. The laws of physics simply do not apply within the confines of this flick. And, as long as you are cool with that, you won't find any flaws in this movie. The special effects awe and make you scratch your head. Isn't that what magic is supposed to do? But, in the end, perhaps it is best to look at this- literally- as a caper-movie, dressed up with amazing segues and frustratingly inexplicable change-ups. I, myself, adore a good caper film, and this one dovetails nicely with my current library of faves. The cast plays to their individual strengths- no one does all-knowing and mysterious better than Freeman, or slow-burn, skeptical Everyman better than Ruffalo. But each gets to chip in their unique spin on their role, and that makes it a treat to the eyes and the funny bone.

Lessons Learned: Oh, you mean, aside from the Freemanism above? Well, how about this coat-tail rider: what you see is not necessarily what you get. Then this: time does nothing to erase the desire for payback. On the contrary, it tends to whet the appetite even more with the passing of time, adding little tiddly-pums and curlyques...which the paid-back will definitely not enjoy.